Tuch - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres notes: Jarmo Kekalainen to ‘take charge’ of Alex Tuch’s contract talks; Buffalo could go down to two goalies

BUFFALO – In his first days on the job, Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said he plans to “take charge” of contract negotiations with winger Alex Tuch’s representatives.

Tuch, one of former GM Kevyn Adams’ biggest trade acquisitions, expressed his desire earlier this season to sign an extension with the Sabres.

But has another difficult campaign changed Tuch’s mind? The Baldwinsville native can become an unrestricted free agent following the season.... Read the full article

More change likely coming after Jarmo Kekalainen replaces Kevyn Adams as Sabres GM

What happens next? General manager Kevyn Adams, having been fired on Monday by owner Terry Pegula and replaced by Jarmo Kekalainen, is gone after a five-and-a-half-year run in which he failed to build the Buffalo Sabres into a playoff team.

Adams, a Clarence native Pegula and his wife, Kim, a co-owner, hired as GM despite having never worked in an NHL hockey department, came oh-so-close to delivering that elusive playoff berth in 2022-23, when the ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Josh Norris, Alex Tuch could play against Kraken

Buffalo Sabres forwards Josh Norris and Alex Tuch both practiced Saturday and are “possibilities” to play tonight against the Kraken, coach Lindy Ruff told reporters in Seattle.

Norris (soreness/illness) has missed the last two games, while Tuch (illness) sat out Thursday’s 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks.

Both players practiced on lines and took reps on the power play as the Sabres prepared the finale of their six-game road trip, according to Sabres.com.... Read the full article

Sabres lose Josh Norris, Colten Ellis to injuries before and during OT win

Shortly before Tuesday’s opening faceoff, the Buffalo Sabres pulled center Josh Norris from the lineup after he skated in the pregame warm-up.

What happened?

Coach Lindy Ruff told reporters in Edmonton following the Sabres’ 4-3 overtime win that the oft-injured Norris, who felt ill, tweaked something warming up.

At that point, the Sabres yanked Norris, who had played four straight games after an upper-body injury he suffered opening night sidelined him 24 contests.... Read the full article

Sabres send forward back to Rochester, recall defenseman

The Buffalo Sabres on Sunday sent center Noah Ostlund back to the Rochester Americans so they could create a roster spot and recall defenseman Zach Metsa from their AHL affiliate.

The Sabres returned Metsa, 27, to Rochester last week to make rook for center Josh Norris on the 23-man roster, leaving them with just six defensemen.

Coach Lindy Ruff said on Tuesday the Sabres, who play the Flames tonight in Calgary, wanted to add an ... Read the full article

Soft hands, smarts help Noah Ostlund, ‘The Masseuse,’ stick with Sabres

BUFFALO – Noah Ostlund’s Sabres teammates got creative in giving him a new nickname. Instead of simply taking the first few letters of his last name and adding a “y” to the end, a standard hockey formula, they examined his skill set.

“His hands are incredible,” Sabres winger Alex Tuch, Ostlund’s linemate, told the Times Herald following Tuesday’s practice in KeyBank Center. “So it’s really hard to give him a bad pass, honestly. He’s always ... Read the full article

Josh Norris wows in return as Sabres beat Jets: ‘He was unbelievable’

BUFFALO – In his first action in almost eight weeks, center Josh Norris needed less than three minutes to give the Sabres a taste of what they had been missing for the last 24 games.

During a power play, Norris, who hadn’t played since suffering an upper-body injury opening night, skated into the right circle and adroitly fed winger Josh Doan the puck at the top of the crease.

A second later, winger Jason Zucker ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Colten Ellis likely to start again; Noah Ostlund uses ‘sick’ move

BUFFALO – Following a four-game break, goalie Colten Ellis looked sharp throughout Saturday’s 3-2 shootout victory in Minnesota, stopping 22 shots, including the last 14 he faced, as the Sabres ended the Wild’s seven-game winning streak.

Ellis, 25, received an early taste of Minnesota’s firepower, stopping superstar Kirill Kaprizov’s wraparound attempt barely a minute into the contest.

In overtime, the rookie calmly denied two shots from Brock Faber in close.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen shines in win, could be seizing No. 1 job; Isak Rosen sent to Rochester

BUFFALO – It took more than six weeks – just over one-quarter of the season – for Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to make back-to-back starts.

The Finn missed time battling an injury, mind you. Still, if he was the best option most games, he would’ve taken over the net a long time ago.

The Sabres couldn’t wait for him to find his game, so he has been sharing time with Alex Lyon and rookie Colten ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Alex Tuch steps up by creating goals; Bowen Byram avoids injury

BUFFALO – Following two pointless outings, Sabres winger Alex Tuch caught fire early in Friday’s blowout win, grabbing the puck behind the net and feeding Tage Thompson before the center adroitly found linemate Josh Doan at the net.

During a power play later in the first period, Tuch hit Bowen Byram from the right point as the defenseman crept into the slot.

In the second period, Tuch protected the puck along the wall in his ... Read the full article